The second comprehensive special counsel, investigating remaining suspicions after three previous special counsel probes, has launched a compulsory investigation into Kim Tae-hyo, former First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, on charges of participating in former President Yoon Suk-yeol's insurrection during the December 3 martial law incident.
The special counsel announced Wednesday that prosecutors and investigators executed a search and seizure warrant at Kim's residence and university research office the previous day. The warrant specified charges of participating in key insurrection duties.
Kim is suspected of participating in the insurrection by attempting to persuade diplomatic officials from allied nations about the legitimacy of martial law, including calling U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg during the martial law period to convey that "martial law was unavoidable."
In January last year, then-Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Chung Dong-young (currently Unification Minister) raised allegations that Kim called Ambassador Goldberg immediately after the martial law was lifted, arguing that "martial law was unavoidable to eliminate anti-state forces that had destroyed Korea's judicial and administrative systems through legislative dictatorship."
Kim denied the allegations at a parliamentary investigation held in January last year, saying "the timing and content are entirely false." Kim countered that "I received a call from Ambassador Goldberg about an hour after the president's martial law address" and "when he asked about the circumstances, I had no information beyond watching the broadcast of the address, so I said 'let's watch the situation together' and hung up."
Kim underwent witness questioning in last year's deceased Marine special counsel investigation and other probes but was not indicted. During the special counsel investigation, he testified that the so-called "VIP fury theory" regarding the deceased Marine case was true. He returned to his position as a professor of political science and diplomacy at Sungkyunkwan University in the second half of last year.